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["Alan Haigh" <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

I continue to see this discussion about the problem of keeping potted figs moist and I wonder if anyone read my post about encouraging the roots out of the pots into surrounding soil.  I have about 400 potted bearing age fruit trees in my nursery and a less than adequate well for my hort acitivities.  I have not watered any of those trees for a couple weeks and usually don't after July except during extreme drought.  Every fall every tree gets root pruned and set back in the soil.  When I install them they tend to grow so quickly my customers often get a good crop the first year.  They have lots of fine roots in the pots and we save a lot of the outside root by cutting away the pot.

 

Now as far a growing fig trees, of course this same system will work well- I even manage a few figs for sale this way.  Just plant the pot in the soil about half way and mulch beyond the pot a couple feet and you will not often have to water.  Here in the northeast half of the seasons you won't have to water them at all.  It won't be that much work digging them up in the fall to either lay flat on the ground and insulating a bit or bringing indoors.  Just save as much root out of the pot as is easy to handle.